


Heim

by nothingisreal



Category: Motorsport RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 19:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12777882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingisreal/pseuds/nothingisreal
Summary: The first time they meet, Maxi is just that little bit starstruck





	Heim

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my first language, no beta

The first time they meet, Maxi is just that little bit starstruck and he quickly decides he can be man enough to admit it, at least to himself. It lasts all of two minutes. Then Mick stutters his way through a sentence, blushes, shifts nervously, and suddenly Maxi realises that in reality he is just a boy, younger than him, and probably even more terrified. There’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders, something Maxi would never be able to understand, not like this, but can guess feels awful.

Somehow, at the end of the night he realises that he likes Mick even more than before.

 

***

 

“Suits you.” Maxi says with a smile when he sees the Mercedes jacket Mick is wearing. “But I like you better in red.” There’s a second meaning to this, after all Prema isn’t the only successful Italian team that wears that colour, and Mick knows he’s blushing at the implication, hopes Maxi would think it’s from the cold wind rather than embarrassment and whatever those other emotions in his chest are.

“Thanks.” He mumbles, quickly looks the other way, towards the crowds, which means he misses the way Maxi’s eyes linger on his face a beat too long.

Later it feels weird, being on that stage, surrounded by all those people, many of whom have achieved so much. It makes Maxi feel proud but a bit uneasy at the same time.

Mick clears his throat, his shoulder bumping into Maxi’s with intent. When Maxi glances at him questioningly, Mick shoots him a panicky look and Maxi smiles at him reassuringly without thinking, despite the anxiety bubbling in his stomach.

He makes sure Mick stays in his line of sight for the rest of the evening, up till the moment they have to go to their separate rooms.

 

***

 

He kisses Callum once. Just to make sure.

They are both on the wrong side of _tipsy_ and Maxi has been going out of his head for months, which maybe is a shitty explanation but whatever, he will worry about that later. He’s confused and unable to focus on anything and he can always say he didn’t know what he was doing because he was drunk. Which isn’t _quite_ true but Callum is right there so what else is he supposed to do?

They’re sitting on the floor in Callum’s hotel room, no longer drinking anything other than water, and Maxi just suddenly grabs his shoulder and pulls him in for a kiss. It’s… nice, not much different from any other kiss he’s ever had and Maxi kind of forgets where he is when Callum licks his way into his mouth.

But the shoulders under his hands are too broad and the chest pressed against his own too hard and flat and there’s stubble brushing against his own and Maxi finds himself pulling back suddenly, almost recoiling.

Callum doesn’t look surprised. He doesn’t look any different than five minutes earlier, to be honest, unless you count the way his lips are redder and glistening with saliva and his cheeks are a pale pink colour. He just smiles at Maxi sadly and then hugs him for an hour straight, whispering that it’s okay and then telling him some silly stories until Maxi remembers how to unlock his muscles and breathe normally again.

 

***

 

“Don’t laugh.” Is the first thing Mick says when Maxi opens the door to his hotel room. It’s late but he’s still wearing the clothes he had on earlier that day, unlike Maxi who’s standing there in just his boxers and a T-shirt, hair mussed from where he’s been tossing and turning for the last hour, unable to fall asleep.

“What’s happened?” He asks as he lets Mick in, locks the door behind him. When he turns around, Mick is smiling at him nervously, the faint pink blush going all the way from his hairline to the collar of his sweatshirt.

“Can I stay here for a bit?”

Maxi would have let him even if Mick wasn’t sending him such a pleading look but in that moment he looks so pitiful Maxi also wants to wrap him up in five blankets and cuddle him until he looks like his normal self again.

“Sure…? But why?”

Mick goes even redder and closes his eyes. “I hate this storm.”

Maxi’s heart feels suddenly too big for his chest and he smiles. “Mick…”

“Don’t laugh! Or I’ll never talk to you again!” Mick looks outraged and like he maybe wishes the ground would just swallow him, his face the colour of a tomato now, and Maxi can’t help but do exactly what he was told _not_ to do, it’s all empty threats anyway, as he flips the switch, leaving only the bedside lamp on. Mick watches him through narrowed eyes, the corners of his mouth downturned, as Maxi walks over to the bed - the smile never leaving his face - and pulls the covers back, sits himself down and pats the mattress beside him. Mick doesn’t budge.

“Are you going to just stand there? Sit down.”

Mick glares at him for a moment longer but then shrugs and kicks off his shoes before flopping down next to Maxi. Maxi has a wild thought that maybe he could kiss him like he did Callum but it’s insane and wrong and his brain must be very tired to come up with something like this.

Maxi throws the open book he was pretending to read (he was just looking at one page, not really seeing the words there) onto the floor and looks Mick up and down pointedly. “Do you usually sleep in your jeans and sweatshirt?” He sighs heavily but the effect is spoiled by the grin on his face. “Come on, undress.”

Mick just stares at him for a second with a blank expression before his brain processes the words. “It’s your room. I don’t want to-”

Maxi rolls his eyes at him. “Bullshit.”

Mick looks like he wants to argue but then smiles at him gratefully before wiggling out of his jeans and then shrugging the sweatshirt off. Maxi covers them both with a blanket and when Mick turns onto his side to face away, Maxi only hesitates very briefly before he snuggles closer to Mick, throws a tentative arm over his waist, rests his palm on Mick’s sternum. Mick tenses up for a second but then quickly relaxes, shifts back a bit, into Maxi.

“Not that I’m complaining but why did you come to _me_ anyway?”

He feels Mick’s chest rise as he sighs. “I figured _you_ wouldn’t tease me for the rest of my life.”

Maxi chuckles into Mick’s neck, nods. Mick’s chest is rising and falling evenly and Maxi finds himself unwittingly matching his breathing with Mick’s and it’s so warm and comfortable and apparently all he’s needed to cure his temporary bout of insomnia.

“Thanks.” Mick mumbles, and he sounds as sleepy as Maxi feels, despite the storm still not quietening outside.

Maxi hums in reply. “Anytime.”

 

***

 

Callum is shooting him a look over breakfast one morning, when they’re in Austria, except it’s not the first time he’s doing it, and Maxi considers himself to be a patient person but even he has some limits.

“What?” He asks. It’s just the two of them for now, the mechanics and engineers have already left and the guys haven’t come down yet.

Callum looks around, bites his lip, before leaning forward over the table, closer to Maxi, and whispering. “What’s up with you and Mick?”

Maxi almost chokes on his own spit. He has a nagging suspicion that Callum has a very clear idea of what could be going on with him and Mick, except he’s _way_ off the truth.

“What the fuck?” Maxi whispers back, even though there’s no need to lower his voice.

Callum sighs, glances at the entrance over Maxi’s shoulder then back at his face. “He wasn’t in his room yesterday. Or the day before that. Or three weeks ago.” He shrugs. “He _was_ in your room when I came to ask you if you knew where he was.”

“Well, yes-”

“ _And_ …” Callum raised his voice a bit before lowering it back to a whisper. “And you two _smell of each other_. So…?”

Maxi gapes at him. “We do _not_.”

“Do too.”

Maxi sighs and slumps back in his chair. He doesn’t know if the look on his face is conveying all he’s thinking but hopes it is because he doubts the extent of his English is broad enough to describe it with words. “Callum, what the actual fuck?”

Callum opens his mouth but then sees something over Maxi’s shoulder and shuts it again, shakes his head frantically. “Later.” He whispers and moves back away from Maxi.

Maxi’s first reaction is to argue but then Mick and Joe flop onto the two empty chairs, so he shuts up. It’s not like he knows what he should say anyway.

 

***

 

Mick is there when Maxi comes off the podium in Hockenheim, trying not to show how disappointed he is. He suspects Mick knows anyway.

Mick watches him as he walks around the room, puts the trophy and the empty bottle down, throws the cap away, shrugs his race suit off, ties the sleeves around his waist, digs the heels of his hands into his eyes. And then there are arms around his waist and he lets himself be pulled forward, lets Mick take half of his weight, run a comforting hand up and down Maxi’s back.

He feels weird about it at first, so used to being protective of Mick that it seems somewhat wrong to just let himself fall apart like this. But he needs it, could really use a hug because this season suddenly got shitty for no apparent reason and Mick is very good at making him feel better without really doing anything, so what’s the harm?

 

***

 

“I used to think I had a crush on you.”

Maxi doesn’t know where the confession came from, he didn’t even realise he opened his mouth. But Mick just looks at him questioningly from where he’s standing in front of the open window, crossed arms propped on the windowsill as he leans forward. He doesn’t look angry or scared or anything he probably should. Just mildly amused and curious, in that way like he wants to know more but only if Maxi is willing to talk and it’s always like this with him. It’s one of the reasons why being around him is so easy.

Maxi’s face is burning a bit and he clears his throat, shifts on the bed. One of them has to speak up eventually and he kind of hopes it will be Mick because he’s said more than he meant to anyway and there’s no way he’s going to embarrass himself even more.

“You don’t, do you?” Mick asks as he closes the window and turns to face Maxi fully, his back towards Macau. He’s smiling, his head cocked to one side as he regards Maxi curiously. Maxi has to look away, the darkening sky he can see over Mick’s shoulder suddenly very interesting.

“I don’t think so?” He says finally, more a question than an answer, as if he expects _Mick_ to know. “Callum thinks we’re fucking.” He adds, because apparently Mick still can make him act like a teenage girl with a crush sometimes. Which is silly, there must be something in the air in Macau that makes Maxi lose his head like this.

Mick laughs and bounces on the balls of his feet. “I know.” He says casually, his grin almost as bright as his eyes. “He’s asked me about it.”

Maxi is sure he must have the stupidest expression on his face but whatever, he’s allowed to be shocked. “What? When?”

Mick shrugs. “Nürburgring?”

Maxi furrows his brows. That conversation he had with Callum was after that so… “What did you tell him?”

Mick makes the most innocent expression, slightly spoiled by the smirk on his lips. “I gave him some vague answer that could mean anything?”

“Mick!”

Mick laughs, bumps into Maxi as he flops down on the bed next to him, his legs crossed and his elbows resting on his knees. “Let him think we have more fun than we actually do.”

Maxi tries to look disapproving but he can’t help grinning. “You’re impossible.”

They’re quiet for a moment, Maxi lost in his thoughts and Mick… Mick is probably just letting him sort out his thoughts, as he studies Maxi’s hotel room. There are a couple of books on the desk and some dirty clothes scattered on various pieces of furniture and the bed they’re sitting on is unmade, the covers falling halfway off and one pillow already on the floor.

“So what about that crush of yours?” Mick asks after a moment, making Maxi groan and fall back on the bed, his arm over his face.

Mick’s warm laughter fills the room and then there’s a line of heat along Maxi’s side as Mick lays down next to him.

“I hate you.”

 

***

 

They do _almost_ kiss later. They’re sitting in Callum’s room, the four of them, except Ralf has dropped by and then there are some other guys coming and going the whole evening, Felix hangs out with them for a bit too - it’s just a lot of people and Maxi stops trying to keep track of them after a while, it’s not like anybody sticks around for long.

Felix goes first, says he still has some stuff to do before tomorrow’s race. Joe leaves an hour later, just before ten o’clock, taking Ralf with him. Then Callum excuses himself, tells them they’re free to wait while he showers, and disappears in the bathroom, leaving the two of them alone.

They’re sitting on the bed, their backs propped against the headboard. Maxi has his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, and the side of Mick’s knee is resting on his thigh because they’re too close to be sitting Indian style but Mick is anyway and Maxi finds that the warm weight feels weirdly comforting.

Someone has turned on the TV, even though none of them understand shit, and Maxi stares at it blankly, feeling off-balance, unable to tell why. He doesn’t think it’s because of him but there’s tension in the room that wasn’t there moments ago. Mick is holding himself very stiff, very unlike himself, and everything just feels _wrong_ but Maxi doesn’t know what he can do about it.

Mick folds his legs under himself, turns to face Maxi with a determined expression, his lower lip shiny from where he’s been chewing on it nervously. Maxi turns his head to look at Mick and startles at how close they suddenly are.

“Mick, what-?”

“I-”

They both start speaking at the same time. Maxi smiles, waiting for Mick to continue but Mick seems fixated on his lips as he leans closer almost unwittingly.

“Mick?” Maxi tries again, his voice lower.

Mick hesitates for a second, glances up at Maxi’s eyes. Maxi doesn’t know what he sees there but whatever it is, it seems to make up his mind as he nods almost unnoticeably, his hand cupping Maxi’s cheek gently.

“Oh…”

They jump apart almost falling off the bed in the process. Maxi feels like he’s a kid caught doing something naughty by his parents. His first instinct is to check on Mick, whose face is red and he seems frozen, perched on the edge of the bed, staring at Callum with wide eyes.

“Okay, guys, could you like… not in my bed, please?” His hands are propped on his hips and he looks triumphant that his suspicions have finally been proved right, maybe a bit amused and, honestly, Maxi can’t blame him. If he was in Callum’s place, he’d find the whole situation hilarious too.

“I gotta go.” Mick finally seems to come out of his stupor as he jumps off the bed and practically runs to the door. “See you.” He throws at Callum over his shoulder before the door slams shut behind him.

Callum is still looking at him with a smug expression which makes Maxi roll his eyes. He considers going to Mick to see how he’s doing but decides he should probably give him some time to clear his head, it’s late anyway.

He ignores Callum’s smirk as he follows Mick outside to make his way to his own room.

 

***

 

They don’t talk about it. Maxi starts thinking that maybe he’d dreamt the whole evening up but no. He’s probably the only one to notice but Mick is acting strange. He’s more reserved than usually, never standing next to Maxi and careful to leave plenty of space between them when he’s forced to.

Maxi feels like they _should_ talk but there’s never time or maybe he’s just telling himself that because he’s scared. He kind of wants to avoid Callum but he’s not that much of a coward so he squares his shoulders and spends most of the day chatting with the Brit. Callum is kind enough to tease him only a little and Maxi is very grateful for a friend like him.

Maxi pretends he’s not watching Mick’s every move and Callum pretends he doesn’t notice.

 

***

 

“I don’t know why I did that.” Mick says finally the next evening.

They’re both a bit displeased with their results and sitting together watching German movies on Maxi’s laptop has always done the trick of making them feel a bit better. Or was that just the company they were watching them in?

Maxi’s surprised when Mick comes to him, long after the sun has set, smelling of shower gel, his hair still wet and an uncertain look on his face. He’s even more surprised when Mick settles against him like he always does, their legs tangled and Mick’s head resting against Maxi’s.

“Sorry.” Mick adds. “And sorry about avoiding you for two days.”

Maxi wants to shrug but that would dislodge Mick and Maxi likes him exactly where he is. “It’s okay. We’re good?” He needs them to be. He likes Mick, he really does, and even though they won’t be teammates next year, he still wants them to be friends.

Mick doesn’t answer his question. He just hides his face in Maxi’s shoulder, his voice muffled in the soft fabric of Maxi’s T-shirt, barely audible, just enough for Maxi to be able to make out the words. “I don’t want you to go.”

Maxi sighs. “I don’t want to go.” He admits. That’s kind of true. He’d like to get another shot at the championship, and the future of his career is uncertain but at the same time maybe it’s better that he’ll be moving - hopefully - forward.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Maxi wraps his arms around Mick. “You’ll be just fine.”

Mick huffs against his neck, pulls away to look at him, his hand coming up to fist in Maxi’s T-shirt as if to make up for the lost contact. “I’ll miss you.”

Maxi isn’t sure what he should answer to that, so instead he presses his lips against Mick’s. It’s quick and chaste and he isn’t even sure why he did that in the first place, even less sure how he feels about it.

Mick’s eyes are closed and there’s a crease between his brows. He grabs the back of Maxi’s neck and pulls him in again. Maxi lets Mick take the lead and this time the kiss is… well, it’s closer to an actual _kiss_ than... whatever it was that Maxi did.

Mick starts off slowly as if he’s expecting Maxi to bolt even though technically he was the one who started it. But when Maxi doesn’t push him away, Mick deepens the kiss, squeezes the back of Maxi’s neck and makes a soft sound when it makes Maxi moan.

Mick pulls away, startled, or maybe expecting Maxi to be startled, his hand shifting from Maxi’s neck to cup his cheek and Maxi has a brief moment of deja vu but Callum doesn’t walk in on them this time and then Mick’s lips are on his again.

And this time it is an actual kiss, no but’s. An actual kiss that feels very nice. It’s much gentler than his brief makeout session with Callum was. Neither one of them pushes for more and it’s almost _innocent_. Mick’s hand on his cheek is warm and they’re both breathing more heavily than the situation would warrant.

It’s still weird, like it was with Callum, for all the same reasons, except it’s _Mick_ and that changes everything. Maxi can’t make sense of what exactly he’s feeling. He can’t shake off the thought that it’s wrong, except it doesn’t feel wrong, it feels like finally getting to do something he’s been thinking of for months and that thought makes him feel a bit dizzy in the best way.

Mick’s waist is warm even through his T-shirt and Maxi really likes having him in his arms. Mick always gives the best hugs, always is very cuddly and tactile but now that Maxi thinks of it, it’s only with him, only when they’re alone. He doesn’t know what that means. Mick doesn’t mind physical contact with people he’s close to, Maxi’s seen him fall asleep on Callum or hugging Joey after a race… But Maxi’s the only one from whom Mick actually _seeks_ the contact himself.

Mick parts his lips and Maxi follows and it’s enough to make him forget about tomorrow’s race, about the qualifying, in which he knows he could’ve done so much better, about the bad luck that seems to be following him ever since the second half of the season, and which he's unable to shake off.

And he knows that Mick didn’t have the best day either but he can guess from the way he relaxes under Maxi’s touch, loses himself in the kisses, that he’s probably thinking the same thing.

 

***

 

He pushes Callum into the back of the garage the next day and kisses him. Callum makes an indignant sound against his lips and shoves him away.

“Is this some new hobby of yours?”

But he doesn’t look angry so Maxi decides he can push what little luck he has left.

“Do me a favour?”

Callum’s eyes widen and he glances down Maxi’s body, then back at his face with narrowed eyes and a smirk. “What kind of a favour?”

It takes Maxi way too long to figure out what he means.

“Oh my God, what are you thinking of?”

“I don’t know.” Callum shrugs. “I must’ve inhaled too much petrol fumes.”

Maxi snorts and Callum grins, happy to have the tension that’s been hanging between them these past few days broken and Maxi smiling again. “Can I kiss you?”

Callum gives a long suffering sigh but doesn’t react in any other way when Maxi moves in closer again and presses their lips together.

Making out with Callum still feels as weird as it did before and Maxi isn’t sure what that means or even if it’s a good or a bad thing but it does make him feel slightly relieved.

They break apart and he knows Callum is about to ask something he’d rather not answer but Callum’s engineer chooses that exact moment to stroll inside, looking for him. To his credit, he doesn’t say anything about them standing so close their chests are almost touching, or about their lips being red and their hair messed up.

 

***

 

Mick has that expression on his face which means he’s in a very unsociable mood, irritated to the point where he can’t be even bothered to hide it anymore. It’s very rare but Maxi has seen it a couple of times, wants it to go away because Mick being anything other than cheerful and happy is just plain wrong.

He catches Callum’s eye from across the room and Callum nods in Mick’s direction with a knowing look, also a bit pleadingly because someone really should go and rescue Ticktum who’s trying to talk to Mick and Maxi isn’t surprised Callum would rather avoid being the person to do that.

“Hey, can I steal him for a moment? It’s important.” He flashes Dan his best smile and practically drags Mick away, towards the door.

“What’s up?” Mick asks, looking a bit better, now that they’re out of the crowded room.

Maxi shrugs. “Figured someone should get you away from him before you decided to kill him.”

Mick goes a bit red, snorts. “This season is bullshit.” He admits. “These last few races I mean.”

“You can say _that_ again.” Maxi mutters as he leads them towards the stairs.

He watched the championship slip from his fingers and couldn’t do anything about it. And then suddenly he wasn’t even second. And he just couldn’t control his car anymore, was all over the place and he couldn’t tell if it was the car or just him losing his cool. Maybe both? And now Macau, he was so close and then he didn’t even get to be on that podium, not even once!

He wants to get away from it all, just for a moment, half an hour of peace but they run into Felix on their way upstairs and are herded back into the room full of people and cameras and journalists and everything else Maxi would rather avoid right now.

 

***

 

He’s the one knocking on Mick’s door that evening. He isn’t really expecting him to be there, there’s a party going on downstairs but then there’s shuffling inside and the door opens. Mick brightens up when he sees Maxi.

“Thank God it’s you. I don’t really feel like talking to people.”

“I’m not people?” Maxi asks with a smile as he comes inside, hesitates briefly before making himself comfortable on the bed.

Mick closes the door with a small shrug. “You’re you.” He says as if that was the most obvious thing and maybe it really _is_ a valid explanation. “Is it possible to still be jet-lagged after two days?” Mick asks as he flops down on the bed, hides his face in one of the pillows.

“Three.” Maxi corrects. “Probably not.”

Maxi runs his fingers through Mick’s hair and Mick makes an appreciative noise, turns his head on the pillow so that he can look up at Maxi. “I still feel like shit though.”

Maxi sighs, lies down on his side facing Mick, his fingers still tangled in Mick’s hair. “This weekend has been exhausting.” He agrees, his hand slipping to where Mick’s T-shirt has bunched up around his waist, and then under it, runs the tips of his fingers up and down Mick’s spine soothingly. “You probably should get some sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy.” Mick sighs, props his chin on his folded arms, looking at the wall. “I…” He shakes his head, his brows furrowed but when he looks at Maxi he’s smiling brightly again and it would probably be good enough to fool other people but it would never fool anyone who knows Mick well and Maxi thinks that maybe he should be offended Mick’s even trying this on him. “I think I’m gonna go to that party after all.” He says cheerfully and it’s such a sudden shift from how exhausted he looked just seconds earlier.

Mick gets up and Maxi lets his hand slip from underneath his T-shirt, fall onto the mattress. He regards Mick as he puts on his jeans, tugs his T-shirt down a bit self-consciously.

“Can I stay here?” Maxi asks from where he’s still lying on the bed.

Mick shrugs without even glancing at him. “Sure.” He mumbles. “If you want. Don’t wait up.” And with that he’s out the door.

Maxi stares at the ceiling blankly for an hour before he finally drifts off to sleep.

 

***

 

He’s woken up by his phone vibrating in his jeans pocket. It’s pitch-dark in the room, probably wouldn’t be if the curtains weren’t drawn, and when Maxi glances at the clock on his screen, he sees it’s just past midnight. Also, that he has one missed call and an unread message from Callum.

**Could you come down to collect your bf?**

Maxi rolls his eyes. He could argue but that’s not the point.

**What has he done?**

Mick’s probably fine but Maxi can’t help feeling just a bit worried. He’s really got very protective (overprotective?) of Mick these past few months. But then everyone’s protective of Mick. Just maybe not as much as him…

**Just come down**

Maxi rubs his eyes as he drags himself out of the bed. He’s kind of glad Callum woke him up because his neck and back muscles are beginning to ache from the uncomfortable position he was sleeping in.

Callum is waiting for him by the door. The whole room is a mess. The party’s apparently winding down because it’s pretty empty and what few people are left seem to be either too drunk to leave or well on their way there, dancing (if what they're doing can even be called that) clumsily. There are some clothes scattered on the floor and on one of the chairs and Maxi really doesn’t want to know what has been happening in that room.

But Callum seems sober, maybe a little tipsy at the most but it could be just tiredness, and Maxi wonders why he’s even there.

“I’ve kept an eye on him.” Callum tells him, nodding towards the other side of the room where Mick is practically hanging off of Ralf, both of them giggly and maybe a bit _too_ friendly with each other, which kind of answers Maxi’s unasked question, and Maxi shoots him a thankful smile.

“Okay.” He says when he gets to the pair, wraps his arm around Mick’s middle. “Let’s get you to bed.”

He’s expecting resistance but Mick goes willingly, doesn’t even spare Ralf a glance as Maxi leads him outside. He doesn’t seem as drunk as he did at first, nowhere near sober, but he’s fine with walking on his own in a relatively straight line and without tripping over his own feet and Maxi counts it as an achievement.

He gets Mick into the bed, forces him to drink a bottle of water before lying down next to him and as soon as he does he suddenly has his arms full of Mick, who wraps himself around Maxi, his head in the crook of Maxi’s neck, and his arm wrapped tightly around Maxi’s waist, one leg thrown over both of Maxi’s.

Maxi stays awake for a long time, running his hand through Mick’s hair and down his back. He only lets himself fall asleep when he’s sure Mick is fine.

 

***

 

“Why didn’t you stop me?” Mick mumbles into the pillow and, honestly, it’s by sheer luck that Maxi even understands him. Though he could probably guess it from the way Mick curled up into a ball and pulled the covers all the way over his head as soon as he woke up.

“You’re an adult?” Maxi answers. “I’m not your mother? I didn’t see why I should’ve?”

“Because you always make sure I don’t do stupid shit.” Mick replies, turns around so that he’s facing Maxi again. “I don’t even know why I did that. I feel even worse than before.”

“You’re hungover. You didn’t think it’d make you feel great, did you?”

Mick groans and hides his face against Maxi’s chest. “I _wasn’t_ thinking. Which is another reason why you should’ve stopped me.” He answers stubbornly and Maxi smiles down at the messy blond hair fondly.

“As if you would’ve listened.”

Mick looks up at that, surprised. “I _always_ listen to you.” He says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and Maxi’s heart misses a beat. “I’m not always happy to but you’re usually right so…” He shrugs. “Which is another reason why I don’t want you to go. I kind of like being looked after. By you.” And Maxi's seen how mad Mick gets whenever he feels like someone's babying him. He likes being independent, Maxi can't blame him - he's like that too, so the information that Mick not only doesn't mind but even  _likes_  when it's Maxi "babying" him... He hasn't been this surprised in quite a while.

Maxi opens his mouth but no words come out. He just stares at Mick with wide eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Mick slaps at his arm half-heartedly. “I thought you knew this.”

“Do I look like I knew this?”

“You look like I just told you that the sky is green.”

Maxi snorts and pulls Mick closer, adjusts the covers until he’s satisfied that Mick’s sufficiently tucked in. “What was that with Ralf yesterday…? Earlier today?”

Mick giggles and snuggles closer to Maxi, slips his hands under Maxi’s T-shirt to warm them up. “I wanted to… well, yeah…” He blushes.

Maxi furrows his brows. “And…?” He prompts when Mick doesn’t continue.

Mick giggles again, wrinkles his nose and Maxi has to stop himself from bringing his fingers up to Mick’s face. “And he said you would’ve killed him if he touched me.”

“I- what? I never-” Maxi sputters. 

Mick shrugs with a laugh. “Everyone knows you treat me like your kid brother.”

Maxi grimaces. “It would’ve been totally fine if you said it last week but after this weekend it just sounds wrong.”

Mick rolls his eyes but he’s grinning. “The point still stands though.”

“Yeah, okay." Maxi shrugs. "Maybe I do treat you like my kid brother.” Mick makes a triumphant ‘ah-ha’ sound. “So can we please forget this weekend ever happened?”

“What weekend?” Mick laughs with a wink. “Honestly though, it’s been shit. I’m gonna erase it from my memory. All of it.”

“Good call.” Maxi nods.

Mick bites his lip and shifts so that he’s lying half on top of Maxi and it really shows how comfortable they are with each other when neither mentions that they’re both half-hard because, hey, they just woke up and they’re twenty (more or less), what else would you expect?

“You know,” Mick starts, studying Maxi carefully, “for some reason I’ve always thought that you and Callum would make a nice couple.”

Maxi ignores the startled look Mick gives him when he throws his head back against the pillow with a groan, his eyes screwed shut. “Oh my God… I can’t with you two!”


End file.
